Enhancing Products and Services
Statutory Safety
Inspections and
Maintenance
Responding to Customer’s Needs to Keep Their Cars
over the Long Run
In recent years, the average service life of cars has been growing, while the profile of car owners has expanded from primarily men, to include more women and seniors. AUTOBACS chain is responding to these changes by offering highly convenient statutory safety inspection services, and meticulous support in the form of scheduled maintenance, and repairs and maintenance to address immediate problems. We help car owners keep their cars, with peace of mind, over the long run.
Market Environment and Business Trends
With the number of registered vehicles remaining high and safety inspections that are legally mandated, the market for statutory safety inspections and maintenance is expected to remain stable. AUTOBACS, with strengths in the form of high brand awareness, a nationwide network of stores with service bays, and an expert staff of mechanics, is differentiating itself from car dealers and small- and medium-size maintenance and repair garages, and working toward sustainable growth.
Greater Convenience in Statutory Safety Inspection Services
Working to Lighten the Customer’s Burden and Increase Customer Satisfaction
Statutory safety inspections are conducted to ensure the safety of cars on the road. The required inspection work and any repairs that are shown to be necessary as a result amount to significant cost and time burdens for customers. To ensure that our services meet with customer satisfaction, AUTOBACS presents the customer with an estimate showing the priority of repairs needed and the work that must be done, together with choices for parts and automotive goods from within our inventory. In addition, when a statutory safety inspection is unlikely to require the replacement of parts, most AUTOBACS stores perform the inspection work on the same day to lighten the customer’s burden. In fiscal 2015, we performed over 590,000 statutory safety inspections, bringing our cumulative total to over 5 million since we began performing this work in 1991.
Enhancement of Maintenance-Related Services
Offering Services for Peace of Mind at All Times
AUTOBACS offers Maintenance Packs that cover parts, such as oil and batteries, and labor for scheduled maintenance, and inspection services. With reasonable prices and reminders for scheduled maintenance and inspections, we provide customers with enhanced safety and peace of mind. In addition, with our ability to perform body repair, car wash, and a wide variety of other services, we respond a broad range of customers’ car-related needs.
Nonfinancial Capital Driving Value Creation
Increasing the Number of Government-Authorized Inspection Facilities
For even greater ability to perform same-day statutory safety inspections, we are increasing the number of our government-authorized inspection facilities. Facilities that are authorized by the government to perform statutory safety inspections must have an inspection line, and automobile mechanics and automobile inspectors who have passed the national professional examinations. As of March 31, 2015, 390 AUTOBACS stores were authorized by the government to perform statutory safety inspections.
Highly Convenient Reservation Service
AUTOBACS strives to boost customer convenience and win statutory safety inspection business by giving customers estimates for statutory safety inspection work, offering a web page where customers can reserve a date and time to have a statutory safety inspection performed, and reminding customers of upcoming inspection dates. We do the latter through direct mail and direct interaction with customers in stores, as well as through outreach via our call center.
Development of Automobile Mechanics and Automobile Inspectors
The development of an expert technical staff is indispensable for the statutory safety inspections and maintenance business. AUTOBACS has created an in-house education and training system for developing employees who are expert in the performance of pit services, and for preparing employees to become nationally certified Automobile Mechanics and Automobile Inspectors. As of March 31, 2015, our workforce included 3,780 Automobile Mechanics, with more in training.
Working to Deliver Even Greater Value through Our Services and Increase the Number of Statutory Safety Inspection Customers
AUTOBACS has steadily increased the number of cars on which it performs statutory safety inspections. We have done this by offering conveniences such as transparent pricing and the ability to choose automotive goods and parts to use for repair and maintenance. Statutory safety inspections are a source of regular customer visits and, therefore, also a key point for AUTOBACS in continuing communication with customers. To deliver even greater value and further increase the number of statutory safety inspection customers, we will continue to improve store capabilities for accepting requests for inspections, further integrate the web-based reservation system, increase the numbers of certified Automobile Mechanics and Automobile Inspectors in our workforce, and expand the number of our facilities authorized by the government to perform statutory safety inspection work.
Kenichi Hosoya General Manager, Statutory Safety Inspections Department
